Three 30-minute rides each week of the year Challenge 2025 [NB Starts 30/12/24!]

[ColinJ]

I have had a week off my bike, possibly the longest break since I began the 2023 challenge. That is due to fighting off a cold and not wanting to be fighting off the cold at the same time!

Fortunately, part of that was the end of week #1 2025, and the rest has been the start of week #2 so I am still in the challenge.

I don't feel fully recovered and conditions are still cold and icy here so I will be sensible and not aim to do more than the minimum 3 x 30 minute rides this week.

If I feel ok when I am out I will extend the rides slightly while still sticking to the gritted valley roads until the ice has melted.

 

[FrothNinja]

Been quite a challenging start to the challenge but here, at least, the light has been good when I have been out and it has shown up the icey patches.
Did a longer ride yesterday - Distance 16.19 km, Time 1:39.29, Avg Speed 9.8 kph, Total Ascent 188 m - arriving home as it started to go dark.
My speed has dropped so much that I am hauling the Folda out for the local rides if it stays below zero. Far and away my best bike on ice as it doesn't have a crossbar and has a very low centre of gravity.
Must be getting old - I am being sensible and going steady and safer.
Take care folks, 5 kph for half an hour is a lot better than nothing and the air is crisper than in the house.

 

[bluenotebob]

5 kph for half an hour is a lot better than nothing

Indeed it is - well said!

It doesn't matter how slow you go - or how far you go - it's being out on your bike for at least 30 mins that's important.

You and @ColinJ (and probably @Elswick Cotterpin and @Saluki ) have had a lot more icy stuff to deal with than I've had. It's just been very wet and chilly here.

But ... it's going to get even colder here while the UK warms up - so I expect to see some impressive rides from you all next week.

 

[Elswick Cotterpin]

Thanks, Yeah, it's not so bad when you get over the initial shock and warmed up a bit. Didn't feel quite as bad today but I waited until the frost had pretty much vanished, just had the cold wind to deal with. It was another short one, local loop, nothing too exciting but another qualifying ride.

 

[ColinJ]

You and @ColinJ (and probably @Elswick Cotterpin and @Saluki ) have had a lot more icy stuff to deal with than I've had. It's just been very wet and chilly here.

I finally went out on my bike today and rode 20.2 km in exactly an hour.

It was beautifully sunny here, but still very cold. The air temperature was around freezing but it felt several degrees colder with wind chill.

The snow-covered hillsides bordering the valleys looked lovely glistening in the sunlight, but it was too cold to stop to take photos. I was testing my thin gloves under my ski gloves and I didn't want to take them off to mess about with my phone camera. The extra pair of gloves really did help. My fingers felt chilly rather than frozen!

To illustrate how wet it had been before the recent snow falls, and how cold it has been since, I will dash out into my back yard to take a photo...

I left that mop bucket outside less than 2 weeks ago after cleaning my bike. I had emptied all of the water out of it. It now has nearly 30 cm of solid ice in it, and all of that came from just 2 days of rain and the following cold snap.

I normally hose my bike down when it needs cleaning but I wrecked a hose a couple of years by leaving it out during a cold spell (Ice broke the nozzle and burst the hose) I have taken the precaution this winter of draining the hose, turning off the exterior water supply, and opening the exterior tap so the pressure wouldn't build up if that started to freeze. Hopefully that will protect the water pipe through the kitchen wall to the tap!

The forecast for the next couple of days is similar to today's but 2-3 degrees warmer. I'll stick to the valley roads to get my other 2 rides in.

 

[Saluki]

I have been a poorly person all week. Been a bit flu-ish. It wasn’t proper flu as I could function but not an ordinary cold as definitely running a temperature and the hacking cough was a bit interesting. Thank heavens for WFH. Today was my first proper day of recovery. The temperature didn’t get above -2 and there was freezing fog for the majority of the day. There is zero chance of 3 x 30 min rides tomorrow, I have to work. Ho hum.

 

[bluenotebob]

Week 2: 9 rides over 30 mins, including one MCAM ride; distance cycled 240.07km

Weeks 1 and 2 (2025): total distance cycled 330.81km

A reasonable week, despite the very cold and wet weather. Managed to do my January qualifier for the MCAM challenge (106km) on Tuesday. It took me longer than it usually does to recover from a distance ride – I would have liked a recovery ride on Wednesday but the weather was awful and I was very tired. The rest of the week has been taken up with local loops – getting some kilometres into each of my bikes.

Katie-Mae on Tuesday afternoon, on the Pont de Bagotais over the flooded river Oust

 

[FrothNinja]

W2R1 - Centurion 1 hours 39 mins - Distance 16.19 km, Avg Speed 9.8 kph, Total Ascent 188 m. Antyn (the Centurion) has 1980s rat trap pedals. I used to ride with toe bails and straps but I just ride them like flats now, as I seem to have lost the inclination to flip the pedal round on the fly.
W2R2 - Centurion 37 mins - local miles
W2R3 - CX 1 hour 23 mins - Clarion extended ice loop
Nacht on the Ridge - still not found my other overshoe but I did go clipped in today

 

[bluenotebob]

W1R1 - Centurion 1 hours 39 mins - Burnley, Brierfield, Sabden, Clitheroe, Sabden, Read, Padiham, the Ridge, Higham, Fence, Burnley (total 37.0 miles / 59.5 km plus 1039 m / 3417 ft ascent).

Well done on getting out in the icy conditions.

Bit confused though - are these Week 1 rides or Week 2?

You posted upthread that you rode for 1hr 39 mins and covered 16.19km. Is this the same 1hr 39 min ride that you've just posted ? - surely not. You rode 59.5km in 1 hour 39 mins? ..

 

[FrothNinja]

Well done on getting out in the icy conditions.

Bit confused though - are these Week 1 rides or Week 2?

You posted upthread that you rode for 1hr 39 mins and covered 16.19km. Is this the same 1hr 39 min ride that you've just posted ? - surely not. You rode 59.5km in 1 hour 39 mins? ..

Serves me right for trying to take short cuts copying - will correct

 

[Elswick Cotterpin]

Good rides from you all considering the weather conditions . I got out just after eight this morning for another hour, just under ten miles.

Not as cold today, hardly any wind. Try as I might I can't think of anything noteworthy to say about it! Never mind, it's all good.

 

[ColinJ]

I got back on my bike after a break to avoid foul weather, and to recover from a mild illness...

Week 2: 3 qualifying rides, 65.0 km in 3.00 h.

Total qualifying rides: 6. Distance to date: 116.0 km (vs 220 km; 2 x weekly target of 110 km). Time to date: 5.75 h (vs 14 h; 2 x weekly target of 7 h).

Ride 1 (Fri): 20.2km. Tod, road closure at HB, Tod, Wn, Tod, plus a little more towards Ce and back. 1.00 h.

Ride 2 (Sat): 22.4 km. As yesterday, but a bit further beyond Wn. 1.00 h.

Ride 3 (Sun): 22.4 km. Tod to lights on Bp Rd and back. 1.00 h.

All rides on my 6-er.

Abbreviated local place names: Tod = Todmorden, HB = Hebden Bridge, Hl = Heptonstall, Cn = Colden, JB = Jack Bridge, BH = Blackshaw Head, Royd = Mytholmroyd, CV = Cragg Vale, BE = Blackstone Edge, Lh = Littleborough, Wn = Walsden, Ce = Cornholme, By = Burnley, Bp = Bacup

 

[FrothNinja]

Did my first half century of the year today and my first century of the year - I blame @bluenotebob - albeit with motor assist.
Commuted to work (usually 50 miles) and swung out to the north past Ribchester etc on the way back to stretch it, just, to 100 km and ascent of 1042 m.
Bleedin cold and lots of water on the ground. Return leg not as terrifying as the morn but almost dark by the time I got back with spots starting to re-freeze. The Ridge was sketchy as there were ridges of ice on the road over 10cm high. Had to roll them and avoid the temptation to pedal, brake, or steer. Been back nearly an hour and my hands and feet are still very cold. Will have to do some work tonight to make up for my abbreviated time in the office. I left just before 2 and did a chunk over 4 hours commuting all up.
Will be waiting til later in the month to decide which challenge this goes in.

 

[ColinJ]

I will be 69 years old next week (where did all those years go!? )... I need to get a 50+ km ride in for the 50-a-month challenge so I was thinking that I would do a 69 km ride to 'celebrate' but then I thought that might be a bit unambitious?

So... I have been looking at possibly extending one of my 'undulating' (hilly but not extremely hilly) metric century routes to 111 km, which is 69 miles. I could do that distance in the hours of daylight if I started soon after sunrise...

I would only do the longer distance if there were a day with decent weather and no residual ice anywhere that I would be going.

We'll see what transpires!

 

[FrothNinja]

I will be 69 years old next week (where did all those years go!? )... I need to get a 50+ km ride in for the 50-a-month challenge so I was thinking that I would do a 69 km ride to 'celebrate' but then I thought that might be a bit unambitious?

So... I have been looking at possibly extending one of my 'undulating' (hilly but not extremely hilly) metric century routes to 111 km, which is 69 miles. I could do that distance in the hours of daylight if I started soon after sunrise...

I would only do the longer distance if there were a day with decent weather and no residual ice anywhere that I would be going.

We'll see what transpires!

69 miles will be a full day - think I would tempted to do a couple of nights on a coast and do the mileage there. Combine the cycle ride with a short break.
Happy cyBirthday in case I forget next week